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Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Poorly Controlled by Insulin and Metformin: Effects of Adjunctive Dexfenfluramine Therapy on Glycaemic Control
Author(s) -
Willey K.A.,
Molyneaux L.M.,
Yue D.K.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-5491.1994.tb00336.x
Subject(s) - dexfenfluramine , medicine , metformin , placebo , type 2 diabetes , diabetes mellitus , weight loss , body mass index , interquartile range , insulin , endocrinology , obesity , fenfluramine , receptor , alternative medicine , pathology , serotonin
Dexfenfluramine is well known for its weight reducing action and has been reported to improve glycaemic control in obese Type 2 diabetic patients not adequately controlled on conventional oral hypoglycaemic therapy. In this double‐blind placebo‐controlled study, 20 obese Type 2 diabetic patients with mean HbA 1c of 8.8 ± 0.5% (normal range 3.5–6.0%), and mean body mass index (BMI) of 34.4 ± 1.0 kg m −2 , who were poorly controlled on insulin (mean dosage 58.0 ± 6.1 units day −1 ) were randomized to receive either additional dexfenfluramine or placebo for 12 weeks. Seventeen of these patients were already taking maximum tolerated metformin therapy (mean dosage 1.6 ± 0.2 g day −1 ) and the other three were unable to tolerate any at all. At baseline, the dexfenfluramine and placebo groups were similar in all parameters studied. After the 12‐week treatment period, median HbA 1c had fallen in dexfenfluramine treated patients from 8.5 (interquartile range (IR): 7.5–10.3) to 7.1% (IR: 6.7–7.5; p < 0.02). The fall in HbA 1c in individual patients after treatment with dexfenfluramine was strongly associated with weight loss ( r = 0.69; p < 0.04), although as a group the changes in weight and BMI were not statistically significant. Placebo was without effect. These results show that in the obese patient with Type 2 diabetes who is poorly controlled despite large daily doses of insulin and metformin, adjunctive dexfenfluramine can improve glycaemic control without exacerbating weight gain.